Catherine and Harry’s secret conversations about proposing to Meghan

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The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry have always enjoyed a close relationship - with their friendship clear to see when they're out and about in public.

And so close is their bond, that it seems Prince Harry even relied on his sister-in-law when it came to making perhaps one of the biggest decisions of his life.

According to Grazia, the Duke of Sussex sought Catherine’s approval before proposing to Meghan in November 2017.

A source told them, “Harry and Kate are very close, she’s been like a mentor to him and he wanted her seal of approval.

“Kate is different to Meghan in many ways, but she has made great strides to help Meghan settle in.”

In their engagement interview, both Harry and Meghan sang Catherine’s praises, revealing how “wonderful” and “supportive” she had been in welcoming the former actress to the family.

Reportedly, Harry first introduced Meghan to his sister-in-law just four months after their first date, at Kensington Palace. It’s thought that she was one of the first members of the family to meet the Duchess of Sussex.

The couple since then have spent a lot of time with Catherine and William, including meeting their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

In a previous Newsweek piece, it was claimed that Catherine has gone some way to filling the emotional gap left by Diana for Harry.

A source said, “There was no one filling the hole left by Diana’s death, and Harry seemed to be growing up without someone emotionally available he could lean on. Kate has helped fill some of that gap.

The pair have known each other since 2003, when the Duchess first started dating Prince William. And since then, Harry has reportedly come to think of Catherine as the ‘sister he never had’, with her often cooking him dinner, and the pair catching up regularly at Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace.

The source continued, “When she and William got engaged, Harry called her the big sister he never had. He often pops into their apartment at Kensington Palace, where she cooks him a meal – roast chicken is reportedly a particular favourite.”